Shoe sewing machine



1943. ASHWORTH EF'AL 2,331,366

SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9,1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Winess A C. fifbzw Oct. 12, 1943. ASHWQRTH ETAL 2,331,366

SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 12, 1943. F, AS'HWORTH ETAL 2,331,366

SHOE smwme MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1959 4 Sheets- Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 12, 1943 SHOE SEWING MACHINE Fred Ashworth, Wenham, and Carl Frwhitaker, Beverly, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Mae chinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington,

v ,N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 9, 1939,Serial No. 303,522 22 Claims. '(ci. 11246) The present invention relates to shoe sewing machines, and more particularlyto machines adapted for attaching a welt'to the margin of'an unlaste'd upper in the manufacture of shoes the pre-welt type.

In United States Letters Patent No. 2,192,166,

issued March 5, 1940, to Fred Ashworth, one of the present inventors, there is disclosed a machine having, in addition to the usual stitch forming and work feeding devices, a supplemental feeding member or point adapted to engage the upper and actuated to advance the same relative to the welt during the sewing operation, thereby to pucker the markin of the upper. This puckering or gathering of the upper results in partially shaping the same before it is attached to the welt, simplifying considerably the lasting of the upper and attached welt in later operations.

Since the amount of puckering imparted to the upper is preferably varied for different portions of the shoe, the puckering mechanism of the aforesaid machine is provided with connections which permit adjustment of said puckering or supplemental feed. This adjustment, however, is not readily performed while the machine is in operation, since the adjustment is effected by a manually operable member which is carried by the operating parts of the puckering mechanism and is therefore subjected to rapid oscillation while the machine is running. Furthermorathe arrangement requires that the operator manipu+ late the work with one hand while making the adjustment. i

Accordingly, the present invention has for its object the provision of a shoe sewing machine adapted for sewing a welt to the margin of an unlasted upper, having mechanism for puckering the upper arranged to permit the operator, while the machine is in operation, readily to adjust'the amount of puckering imparted to the upper without requiring removal of his hands from the work.

In the machine of the above referred to patent, the welt is guided to the sewing point by means of the feed member or point of the upper puckering mechanism, the said feed member being provided with a passage or guideway through which the welt is' drawn as the sewing progresses around the upper. In this arrangement, the operator is required, on approaching the end of the seam, to cut the welt with a hand knife. As it is not easy to cut the welt at exactly the proper angle each time, the joint between beginning and end of the welt is frequently not as smooth and uniform as desired. I Furthermore, on'sever'ing the welt the operator must pull with his-fingers a length of welt from the supply through the guideway preparatory to starting a new seam, an

operation rendered diflicult by the lack of room for manual manipulation of the welt.

Another object of the invehtionis, therefore,

to provide in a machine for attaching a welt to an upper, welt guiding, cutting and advancingmechanism of improved construction andoperation, insuring that the welt may be guided to the sewing point'in proper alignment with the edge of the upper and likewise enabling the operator rapidly and accurately to cut the welt and to draw off from the supply the proper length of welt for starting 'thenext seam.

With these and other objects in View, a feature of the invention involves the provision of a shoe sewing machine adapted for use in attaching a welt to an unlasted upper, having, in combination with the usual stitch forming and work feeding devices, a presser foot, means under the control of the operatorfor'raising the presser foot'from the work" at the end of a seam and mechanism for advancing the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper, and connections actuated by the presser foot raising means for adjusting the action of the upper puckering mechanism while a the machine is running,

More specifically, the presser foot raising means is arranged, in accordance with the invention, likewiseto adjust the mechanism for puckering the upper throughoutone portion ofthe range of movement of the raising means, while actua tion of the presser foot raising means through I another portion of its range of movement causes the presser foot and likewise the puckering mechanismto be lifted away from or lowered into operative relation with the work.

Since, in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes, it is essential that the welt and upper be accurately guided 'to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment, the machine of the present invention, in accordance with another feature, is provided with a welt guide fixed in the direction of feed, while the feeding device by which the upper is advanced relative to the'welt to pucker the upper is arranged to engageand act upon the upper between said upper and'the welt. There is likewise provided welt cutting and advancing mechanism including a springactuated knife releasable by the operator to'cut the welt and manually operable means for returning the knife toretracted position and for simultaneously advancing the proper length of welt from the supply for starting a new seam.

In order that the puckering member or feed point may act on the upper as close to the sewing point as possible and yet permit the welt guide effectively to direct the welt up to the immediate vicinity of the sewing point, it is necessary that the puckering mechanism and the welt guiding, cutting and advancing mechanisms be arranged for operation in closely spaced relationship without interference with one another 01' with the work. To this end, in accordance with a further feature of the invetnion, the welt guiding, cutting and advancing mechanisms are mounted on a common support with the puckering mechanism, these mechanisms being mounted as a unit on the presser foot bar and movable bodily with the presser foot toward and away from the work at the beginning and at the end of a seam through actuation of the aforesaid treadle-controlle'd connections.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a shoe sewing machine embodying the invention, the parts being shown in operating position but with the puckering mechanism adjusted so as to impart no relative feeding movement to the upper; Fig. 2 is a view in left side elevation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of a portion of the machine adjacent the sewing point, showing the upper puckering and the welt guiding, cutting, and advancing mechanisms of the invention, with the presser foot raised and with the knife in advanced or cutting position; Fig. 4 is a top plan view partly in section, of the portion of the machine illustrated in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view taken similar to Fig. 3, but with portions of an upper and a welt in sewing position, and with the puckering member or feed point in advanced position, holding a pucker in the upper until the same is secured by the next stitch; Fig. 6 is a view taken similar to Fig. 5, showing the puckering member in retracted position preparatory to the next stroke; Fig. '7 is a detail view, partly in section, of the welt guiding mechanismadjacent the cutting knife, showing the knife in advanced position after severing the welt; Fig. 8 is a detail transverse sectional view of the construction of the adjustable welt guiding passage, taken approximately on. the line 8 of Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the welt guiding mechanism, showing the clutch or finger for engaging and advancing the welt strip through the guideway; Fig. ,10 is a detail View of the mounting for the puckering point or member in the lower end of the puckerlng lever: Fig. 11 is a detail View of the welt cutting knife, actuating rack, and retaining latch; and Fig. 12 is a detail side view looking from the right, of the presser foot, together with an improved thread cutter of simple construction mounted thereon.

The shoe sewing machine illustrated as embodying the invention is a straight hook needle, chain stitch sewing machine of the so-called Puritan type, substantially similar, except as hereinafter described, to the machine fully illustrated and described in the prior patent above referred to. Accordingly, only so much of the present machine will be described as is necessary to a full understanding of the invention.

The stitch forming and work feeding devices of the machine comprise a straight hook needle 16, a straight awl 18, a needle threading loopei' 20 and a needle cast-off 22, these devices being actuated through connections, all as described in the aforesaid patent, from a sewing shaft 24 in the head of the machine. The shaft is driven from a motor (not shown) in the base of the machine through a clutch 26, the engagement and disengagement of which is efiected by means of the usual starting and stopping treadle (not illustrated) through a treadle rod 28.

The work is clamped intermittently against the work support 39 by means of a presscr foot 32. secured to the lower end of a presser foot bar 34 mounted for vertical sliding movement in the head of the machine parallel to the awl bar 35, The actuating mechanism for lowering and raising the presser foot to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle is fully described in the prior patent, to which reference may be made.

The mechanism for puckering the upper is mounted, in part, on a bracket 38 secured to the lower end of the presser foot bar .34 by means f a clamping pin til, the bracket having an aperture 41 to provide a passage for the awl bar therethrough. The feed point or member, by which the upper is advanced relative to the welt, consists of a sharpened prong t2 clamped by means of screw 44 in one arm of an angle bracket as, (see Figure 10) mounted with capacity for vertical adjustment on the lower end of an arm 48, hereinafter referred to as the puckering arm. The puckering arm is pivotally mounted on the bracket 38 by means of a pin 50 for swinging movement in the line of feed, being actuated as hereinafter described to feed the upper toward the sewing point relative to the welt. while the raising and lowering movement of the presser foot serve to move the'puckering point 42 into and out of engagement with the upper during the puckering and retracting strokes, respectively, of the puckering arm 48.

The puckering arm is rocked by connections from the sewing shaft 24 comprising a cam disc 52 and cooperating rock arm 54 secured to one end-of a rock shaft 55. A depending arm 58 secured to the other end of the rock shaft is connected by means of a link 60 to an upstanding arm 62 at the rear of a rocking member 64 piv otally mounted by means of pivot pin 66 on one end of the bracket 38.

To actuate the puckering arm while permitting adjustment of the amount of relative feeding movement imparted .to the upper, connections are provided from the rocking member 64, which is rocked with constant amplitude during the operation of the machine, which permit adjustment of the amplitude of the stroke of the puckering arm. To this end, the rocking member 64 is provided at its forward portion with an upstanding arm 68 having a slot '10 extending upwardly and slightly to one side from a point substantially in alignment with the pivot pin 66. The arm 68 is connected to the puckering arm by means of a link 72 formed at one end with yoke arms 14 between which is received the arm 63, a pin 15 passing through the slot ID to make the pivotal connection while permitting the yoke end of the link to be raised or lowered to vary the amount of reciprocation of the link. The other end of the link is pivotally connected by a pin 11 to the upper end of the puckering arm 48.

Theheightwise position, of the yoke end of the link 12 relative to the arm 68 of the rocln'ng member determines therate of puckering and is controlled by the operator, without removing his hands from the work, by'connections com-v prising an adjusting member or slide 18 having a depending arm 80 provided at its lower end with a'pin 82 slidably received in slots 84 formed in the yoke arms 14 of the link I2. The member 18 is mounted for vertical sliding movement on the head ofthe machine frame, being provided with a vertical slot 86 within which extends a guiding pin 88 fixed in the machine frame. Likewise extending through the slot is a stud 90 projecting from a block 92 secured to the presser foot bar, the stud having a nut 94 mounted thereon outsidethe slide I8, this stud, as in the prior machine, being employed in conjunction with certainv connections hereinafter described to lift the presser foot from the work at the end of aseam.

To raise and lower the slide I8, there is provided a lever 96 pivotally mounted on a stud 98 secured'in the machine frame. The forward end of the lever carries a roll Hill which is adapted to engage the underside of a lug or shoulder I92 formed at one side of the slide 18, while the other end of the lever is connected by means of a rod IM to a treadle, not shown, at the base of the machine. Upon depressing the treadle, the lever 96 is rocked in counterclockwise direction (see Fig. 2) to raise theslide and accordingly lift the yoke end of the link away from a position in which the pin H5 in the link is aligned with pin 66 and therefore to cause rocking movement to be imparted to the puckering arm. A tension spring I86 connected between the stud 90 and a pin I08 projecting from the upper end of the slide I8 urges the slide downwardly to cause the same to follow closely the movements of the lever 96 and of the controlling treadle.

As the treadle is depressed, the stroke of the puckering arm is increased until the pin it reaches the top of the slot 10 in the arm 68 of the rocking member 64. At this point, an adjustable abutment H0 secured to the slide by clamping screws H2 is arranged to engage the under side of the nut 94 on stud 9!) carried by the block 92 secured to the presser foot bar. Accordingly, further depression of the treadle serves to lift the slide I3 and the presser foot bar as a unit, and thus bodily move the presser foot and puckering mechanism away from the work support. Upward movement of the parts is limited to an amount which provides adequate clearance for removal of the work from the machine by the bottoming of the fixed guide pin 88 in the slot-86 in the slide 78.

Upon gradually releasing the treadle, the presser foot and the puckering mechanism are first lowered into operating position, with the presser foot coming to rest in clamping position on the surface of the work. Thereafter, further releasing the controlling treadle serves tolower the slide I8 relative to the presser foot bar and to the puckering mechanism, thus moving the link 12 from its setting for maximum pucker at the top of the slot in rocking arm (53. Movement of the treadle in the range between the point where the abutment He is caused to engage the presser footilifting stud 90 and the fully' this adjustment being readily performed while the machine is in operation.

In order that the upper may be puckered as vclose to the sewing point as possible, thezpuckering prong or point 42 is necessarily required to come into close proximity to the presser foot at the limit of the forward or puckering stroke. To render the position of the puckering point, when in fully advanced position, independent of the adjustment of link 12, the slot in rock,arm B8 is curved in an are having a center, when the arm is at the limit of its clockwise rockingmovement (see Fig. 5), concentric with the pivotal connection 71 of the link with the puckering arm 48. The proper position of the rock arm 68, when at the limit of its clockwise movement, is obtained by adjustment of the threaded end of link 60;

relative to its point of connection to arm 58 on rock shafttfi (see Fig. 1), so as to permit the link 12 to be raised or lowered without effect on the position of the puckering point 42 when'the latter is in advanced position.

To prevent the welt from advancing as the upper is fed relative thereto, the work clamping face of the presser foot is provided with a depending spur H4 which engages the welting to hold the same securely against movement. The work support 38 is formed with a sloping surface H6 substantially coincident with the path of movement of the puckering point 42, to enable the said member to engage the upper with the correct pressure throughout the entire feeding stroke, the shoulder H8 at the rear of the slopingsurface H6 serving as a guide for the upper I20 as the same is fed to the sewing point.

To insure that the Welt, indicated at I22, may be guided to the sewing point with its edge in accurate alignment with the edge of the upper,

there is provided mechanism which is arranged unhindered operation of the closely adjacent,

puckering mechanism for all positions of the presser foot during sewing, while upon raising the presser foot at the end of the seam, both the puckering mechanism and the welt handling devices are moved bodily out of the way topermit removal of the work from the machine.

The welt handling mechanism comprises a:

supporting structure I24 which is provided with spaced lugs I26 adapted to fit on either side of a reduced end portion of bracket 35 (see Figure 4), the pivot pin 56 for the puckering arm 43 passing through the lugs to provide a readily demountable connection. The ends of lugs I26 are flattened to bear against the main body of the bracket and prevent the mechanism from swinging out of proper position.

The lower portion of the support I24 is provided with spaced walls I28 and'ltll (see Fig. 8)

forming between them a passage or guideway for the welt I22, the guideway being downwardly inclined at the proper angle to directthe welt to the sewing point. A laterally adjustable side member I32 provided with a rib I34 permits welting of various Widths to be accommodated,

the member I32 being clamped in adjusted position by means of screws "I36 passing "through slots in the member into the bottom wall I30 of the uideway.

The adjustable side member I32 is provided at its forward end, closely adjacent the presser foot, with a. transverse portion I38 (see Figure '7) having an inclined inner face I40 substantially in line with the guideway for the welt. The downward inclination of the face I40 in the direction of the sewing point is somewhat greater than that of the guideway, so as to deflect the end of the welt, upon being advanced after severance as hereinafter described, downwardly beneath the presser foot and into position for starting a new seam without attention on the part of the operator.

The welt is cut, as the sewing nears the end of a seam, by means of a knife I42 secured by screws I44 toa slide I46 received within a nearly vertical guideway in the support I24, the knife cutting the welt at an acute angle in the direction of welt feed to make possible a smooth lap joint. The cutting edge of the knife cooperates with the beveled end I48 of the lower wall I30 of the welt guiding passage, the upper face of said wall adjacent the end being transversely grooved as indicated at I50 in Figure 7 to provide a rightangled shearing edge.

The knife is actuated to cut the welt by means of a pinion-like member I52 having a portion of its periphery provided with gear teeth I54 arranged to mesh with rack teeth I56 formed in the slide I46. The member I52 is secured to a cross shaft I58 pivotally mounted in the support I24. A coil torsion spring I60 secured at one end to the member I52 and having its other end fixed in the support I24 tends to rotate the member in counterclockwise direction, corresponding to a downward movement of the knife.

The knife and slide are normally held in raised position, against the force of the spring I60, by means of a latch I62 pivotally secured by screw I64 to the support I24 and extending to the rear thereof to prevent accidental release. The latch is provided with an upstanding lug I66 adapted, when the slide is in raised position, to fit beneath an abutment I68 formed in the slide, a tension spring I tending to hold the latch locked.

When the sewing has progressed to the proper point for the welt to be cut, the operator need merely trip the latch, the force of spring I60 driving the knife downwardly to cut the welt cleanly and at the proper angle for a smooth lap with the welt end at the start of the seam. Downward movement of the knife beyond that necessary to cut the welt is prevented byengagement of the periphery of member I52 with the upper end of the slide I46 above the rack teeth.

The knife is quickly raised to retracted position, against the force of the actuating spring, by means of a handle I12 secured to the outer end of the shaft I58, it being necessary merely to rock the handle downward through approximately ninety degrees until the rack has been raised sufliciently to permit the latch to snap into locked position. At the same time, and by the same motion, the well: is automatically advanced the proper distance for the start of a new seam.

The mechanism for advancing the welt upon resetting the knife comprises a welt feeding member I14 formed of thin spring metal provided with a central tongue portion I16 having at its forward end a bent-up portion I18and a bentdown end or prong I adapted to engage the surface of the welt at a relatively steep angle. The member I14 is arranged to rest upon the top of the welt beneath the top wall I28 of the guideway and to be advanced and retracted in the line of welt feed, the top of the guideway having a. longitudinal slot or opening I8I as shown in Figure 8 to provide a passage for the bent-up portion I18.

The feed member is actuated to advance the welt by means of an arm I82 slidingly mounted in a radially directed passage in member I52. A compression spring I84 (see Fig. 4) between the base of the arm and the bottom of the passage urges the arm outwardly, while a cross pin I86 extending through the arm and sliding in slots I88 in the member serves both to retain the arm and prevent its rotation.

As has already been stated, the welt is advanced in the same operation with the retraction of the knife. After the welt has been cut by the mechanism previously described, the parts are left in the position shown in Figure 3, with the cross shaft I58 at the limit of it counterclockwise rotation and the sliding arm I82 extending to th right; in a generally horizontal direction. The welt feed member I14, under the influence of tension spring I 90, is drawn up in retracted position with the bent-up portion I18 engaged by a fixed cross piece I92 beneath which the welt and welt feed member slides. A plate I94 carried at the outer end of an extension arm 96 fixed to the support I24 is provided with an aperture I98 through which the welt passes to the guideway from the supply, not shown, and likewise serves to support the fixed end of the tension spring I90.

Upon rocking the handle I12 in clockwise direction to raise the knife after cutting the welt, the arm I82 is moved downwardly into engagement with the sloping surface of the bent-up portion I18 of the welt feeding member. Further rocking movement of the handle then operates both to urge the bent-down tip I80 into nonslipping engagement with the welt and to advance the welt feed member and welt as a unit along the guideway toward the sewing point, the arm I82 yielding inwardly as required, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. When the handle reaches the position shown in these figures, the slide I46 on which the welt knife is mounted is at the top of its movement, and the latch I62 locks beneath abutment I68 to hold the parts in this position while the sewing operation takes place. During this time the welt feed member remains in advanced position, permitting the welt readily to be drawn through the guideway, although reverse movement of the welt is prevented by reason of the angle which the bent-down end I80 makes with the welt.

When the latch is again released to cut the welt at the end of a scam, the parts return to the position shown in Figure 3. The welt feed member, released by the sliding arm I82, disengage itself from the welt and is thereupon pulled by spring H80 into retracted position preparatory to advancing a new length of welt along with the raising of the knife from cutting position.

Due to the positioning of the puckering and welt handling mechanisms in close proximity to the sewing point, there is not room for the operator to manipulate the usual hand knife generally employed for cutting the thread at the end of a seam. Accordingly, there is provided a simple and conveniently operated thread cutter,

'ing the presser foot at the end of a seam to permit mounted directly on the presser foot close to the operating point.

The thread cutter, best shown in Figure 12, comprises a fixed knife 200 having its cutting edge arranged transversely of the direction of work feed and inclined slightly downwardly from front to rear. A closely-wound spring 202 mounted on a stud 204 serves to clamp the thread between the knife and the work, the thread being readily pulled in between adjacent coils of the spring, which then grip the thread as the thread is pulled along the edge of the knife. Since the machine in which the various features of the invention are shown as embodied is a chain stitch machine, the above described thread cutter is of value in preventing undue tension being exerted on the thread back to the work during the cutting operation, so as to avoid any tendency to pull out the stitches at the end of the seam.

The nature and scope of the invention having thus been indicated and mechanism embodying the several features having been specifically described, what is claimed is: 1. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle, means for guiding a welt and an unlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper, said mechanism being mounted to permit its being raised bodily from the work, and means under the control of the operator and adjustable over a range of movement, said means being operative to adjust the puckering mechanism throughout a portion of the range of movement of said control means to vary the amount of puckering imparted to the upper, and to raise the puckering mechanism from the work upon movement of the control means throughout another portion of its range of movement.

2. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted shoe upper having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle of the machine, means under the control of the operator for raising the presser foot to permit removal of the work at the end of a seam, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper,and connections actuated by the presser foot raising means for adjusting the upper puckering mechanism while the machine is in operation to vary the amount of relative feeding movement imparted to the upper.

3. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot, means under the control of the operator for raising the presser foot at the end of a seam to permit removal of the work, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper, and connections actuated by the presser foot raising means during a portion of,

the range of movement thereof for adjusting the puckeringmechanism to vary the amount of,

puckering imparted to the upper, and for raising the presser foot during another portion of. the

range of movement of said means.

4. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the i margin of an unlasted shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot, means under the control of the operator for raising mechanism to vary the amount of puckering imparted to the upper, without raising the presser foot, and arranged, upon further movement of said means to raise both the presser foot and the upper feeding mechanism bodily from the work.

5. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to cause the upper to be secured to the welt in puckered condition, said mechanism being mounted adjacent the presser foot for bodily movement therewith, and means includinga treadle-controlled slide mounted independently of the presser foot and puckering mechanism and movable throughout oneportion of its range of movement to adjust said mechanism to vary the amount of puckering imparted to the upper, and throughout another portion of its range of movement to lift thepresser foot and puckering mechanism from the work.

6. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming. and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, and means for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper comprising a puckering arm provided with a feed point adapted to engage and feed the upper, a pivotally mounted rock arm, means for rocking the rock arm continuously and with uniform amplitude during the operation of the machine, connections between the rock arm and the puckering arm, and means under the control of the operator for adjusting the position of said connections with relation to the pivotal center of the rock arm to vary the amount of puckering imparted to the upper progressively from maximum to zero, said adjusting means being fixed against and free of the rocking movements imparted to the connections by the rock arm so as normally to be stationary during the operation of the machine.

7. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and Work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, and means for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper comprising a puckering arm provided with a feed point adapted to engage and feed the upper, a pivotally mounted rock arm, means for rocking the rock arm, a link vconnecting the rock arm and the puckering arm and adjustable with respect to the'pivotal center of the rock arm to vary the amount of puckering imparted to the upper, and means held from bodily movement in the direction of reciprocation actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to cause the upper to be secured to the welt in puckered condition, and welt handling mechanism comprising welt guiding, cutting, and advancing devices, said mechanisms being mounted on a common support in fixed relation to the presser foot and bodily movable therewith to permit said mechanisms to operate without interference in closely spaced relationship and in close proximity to the sewing point.

9. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of an unlasted upper having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a hook needle and a presser foot actuated to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, mechanism for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to cause the upper to be secured to the welt in puckered condition, welt handling mechanism comprising welt guiding, cutting, and advancing devices, said mechanisms being mounted on a common support in fixed relation to the presser foot and in close proximity to the sewing point, and means under the control of the operator for bodily raising the presser foot and said mechanisms as a unit to permit removal of the work from the machine.

10. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to cut the welt, means for returning the knife to retracted position after a cutting operation, and a member arranged to reciprocate in the line of welt feed and adapted to be actuated by the knife returning means to advance the end of the Welt remaining in the guide to the sewing point for a new sewing operation.

11. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a

welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to out the welt, spring operated means for. actuating the knife, manually operable means for returning the knife to retracted position after a cutting operation, and mechanism actuated by said means in returning the knife to advance the end of the welt remaining in the guide to the sewing point for a new sewing operation.

12. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to cut the welt, means for actuating the knife including means for returning the knife to inoperative position, a welt advancing member arranged for reciprocating movement in the line of welt feed and adapted to be actuated by the knife returning means to engage the welt and advance therewith toward the sewing point and, upon actuation of the knife to cut the welt, to be disengaged from the welt and returned to retracted position.

13. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to out the welt, means for actuating the knife including means for returning the knife to retracted position, a weltfeeding member arranged within the welt guide for advancing and retracting movements in the line of welt feed, means actuated by the knife i'eturningmeans in retracting the knife after a cutting operation to cause the welt feeding member to engage and advance the end of the welt remaining in the-guide toward the sewing point, and means opera-tiveupon actuation of the knife to cut the weltto return the welt feeding member to retracted position inde pendently of thewelt.

14. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, in combination, titch forming and work feeding devices,, a welt guide for directing the weltto the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to out the welt, means for actuating the knife including a rotatable member for returning the knife to retracted position, and means arranged for reciprocating movement through the guide in the lineof welt feed and adapted to be actuated by said rotatablemember, while the same is retracting the knife after a, cutting operation, to engage and advance the end of the welt-remaining in the guideto the sewing point.

15. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin of a shoe upper, having, incombination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to cut the welt, means comprising a rack and cooperating pinion for actuating said knife and returning the same to retracted position, a mem ber arranged to reciprocate in the line of welt feed to advance the end of the welt remaining in the welt guide to the sewing point for a new sewing operation, and means carried by the pinion and adapted, while the knife is being retracted after a cutting operation, to engage and actuate 40 the welt advancing member.

1-6. A sewing machine for attaching a welt to the margin 01 a snoe upper, having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a welt guide for directing the welt to the sewing. point, a knife movable transversely of the guide to cut the weit, means comprising a rack and co operating pinion I'or actuating said knife and returning the ame toretracted position, a yieldable arm carried by the pinion, and a member mounted for reciprocating movement along the welt guide and provided with: a portion adaptedto be engaged by the arm upon rotation of the pinion in knife-retracting direction and to be urged by said arm into frictional engagement withthe welt, the member and the welt thereafter being advanced by said arm through the guide toward the sewing point.

17. A machine for use in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combinatiommeans for guiding a welt and anunlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment including a welt guide fixed inthe direction of feed and extending into close proximity to the sewing point and the point of contact of the welt and upper, stitch-forming and workfeeding devices including a feedpoint operating on the welt engaging face of the upper between the welt guide and the upper adjacent the sewing pointe'nd ofthe welt guide, and means for reciprocating the feed point to cause the feed point to advance the upper with relation to the welt whereby the upper may be secured to the welt-in puckered condition.

18. A machine for usein the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combination, means for guiding the welt and an unlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment including a welt guide fixed in the direction of feed and extending into close proximityto the sewing point and the point of contact of the welt and upper, stitch-forming and work-feeding devices including an upper feeding device acting on the welt engaging face of the upper between the welt guide and the upper adjacent the sewing point end of the welt guide, and means for actuating the feeding device to cause the device to advance the upper with relation to the welt whereby the upper may be secured to the welt in puckered condition.

19. A machine for use in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combination, stitchforming and work-feeding devices, a presser foot movable to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, means for guiding a welt and an unlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in a substantial alignment including a welt guide fixed in the direction of feed and connected to the presser foot to move towards and from the work therewith, a four-motion feeding device arranged to act on the upper between the welt and upper, means'for moving said feeding device back and forth in the line of feed to advance the upper with relation to the welt, whereby the upper may be secured to the welt in puckered condition, and connections be-- tween the feeding device and the presser-foot for moving the feeding device with the presser foot and thereby to move the feeding device into and out of engagement with the upper.

20. A machine for use in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combination, stitch-'- forming and work-feeding devices, a presser foot movable to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch-forming cycle, means for guiding a welt and an unlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment including a welt guide fixed in the direction of feed and mounted to move with the presser foot towards and from the work, means for feeding the upper with relation to the welt to pucker the upper comprising a, puckering arm mounted to move with the presser foot towards and from the work, a feed point carried by the-arm arranged to act on the upper between the upper and the welt, and means for actuating the puckering arm to move the feed point back and forth in the line of feed.

p 21. A machine for use in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combination, stitch forming and work-feeding devices, a. presser foot movable to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, means for guiding a welt and an unlasted upper to the sewing point with their edges in substantial alignment including a welt guide mounted to move with the presser foot towards and from the work, anupper feeding device acting on theupper between the upper and the welt, means for actuating the feeding device to cause the device to advance the upper with relation to the welt whereby the upper may be secured to the welt in puckered condition, and a welt severing knife mounted to move with the presser foot and welt guide towards and from the work and movable with relation to the guide to cut the welt.

22. A machine for use in the manufacture of pre-welt shoes having, in combination, stitch forming and work-feeding devices, a presser foot movable to clamp and unclamp the work during each stitch forming cycle, means for guiding a welt and an unlasted upper to the ewing point with their edges in substantial alignment including a welt guide mounted to move with the presser foot towards and from the work, and a welt severing knife mounted to move with the presser foot and welt guide towards and from the work and movable with relation to the guide to I cut the welt.

FRED ASHWORTI-I. CARL F. WHITAKER. 

